Note: Area was home to Paleolithic settlements; was traversed by caravans from 300 BCE; Southern region was heart of great Mali Empire 12th-15th century; Moors invaded in 16th century; French controlled area from 1881; official language is French, though languages of Mande group are more widely spoken, including Bambara, Soninke, Malinké, and Dogon (non-Mande Fulani, Songhai, Senufo, and Minianka are also spoken).